BioSec Bob here on Friday, September 18, 2026—let’s get straight to it.
We’re starting with serious disease pressure in swine production. The Highland Post is reporting that pig farms have been devastated by African Swine Fever, though specifics on the scale and location of affected operations weren’t detailed in this morning’s report. ASF remains one of the industry’s most destructive pathogens, and any confirmed cases warrant immediate biosecurity response across regional operations.
Up in North Dakota, there’s some positive momentum on the research side. National Hog Farmer says North Dakota State University has expanded its swine research facility, significantly boosting the university’s capabilities to study production challenges and disease mitigation. The expanded facility gives researchers more capacity to run trials and develop solutions that benefit commercial producers.
Switching focus to feed innovation—a Swedish study profiled in National Hog Farmer is showing promise replacing soy with mycoprotein in pig diets. The research suggests the protein alternative can work in commercial feed formulations, which matters if soy costs stay elevated or supply becomes constrained. Results are still in the research phase, but it’s worth tracking as the industry looks for protein flexibility.
North of the border, Canada’s making a move on disease surveillance. According to 3tres3.com, the Canadian government announced support to advance swine health surveillance systems. Enhanced monitoring infrastructure helps catch disease threats earlier and keeps cross-border movement data cleaner—important for all North American producers given how integrated continental pork trade is.
Shifting to poultry now—the USDA is putting money behind state-level inspection capacity. Meatingplace reports the federal government is offering fifty million dollars to expand state meat inspection programs. That funding helps states upgrade inspection infrastructure and staffing, ultimately supporting processor compliance and food safety standards at the state level.
On the processing side, wattagnet.com is covering technology that’s becoming more common in poultry plants. X-ray fluorescence and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy—XRF and FTIR—are being deployed to detect foreign objects in poultry products. Both technologies work at different detection thresholds, so facilities using them together catch more contamination before product ships.
Lot of movement across both sectors today—keep your protocols sharp.